BattleLore: Command

For a moment it seemed that the tide of war might have turned, but it was only a moment. The Uthuk Y’llan have returned more powerful than ever. They storm throughout Terrinoth, laying waste to our land and massacring our people. With these bloodthirsty demons clamoring at our gates, we place our hope in you, Commander, knowing that you have the knowledge of lore to awaken the Rune Golems and the military talents to lead our forces to victory. This is the last chance to save Terrinoth. You must defeat the Uthuk Y’llan.

Muster your troops and fight for control of Terrinoth in BattleLore: Command, an application for iOS, Android, and PC based on BattleLore Second Edition. Command either the noble Daqan lords or the bloodthirsty and demonic Uthuk Y’llan in skirmishes against a friend, or embark on a full-length, single-player campaign to save Terrinoth from the Uthuk Y’llan. Whether you’ve never played BattleLore before or have long been a fan of the board game, BattleLore: Command brings tactical excitement and heated combatto your digital device.

The War for Terrinoth

In BattleLore: Command, the Uthuk Y’llan rampage throughout Terrinoth, burning villages, ravaging the countryside, and even attacking powerful Daqan strongholds. Missions take place in twenty different locations, from lush, rural landscapes like the ones depicted on the BattleLore game board to mountaintop villages surrounded by cliffs and blasted, barren deserts. The battlefield terrain is shaped by forests, water, buildings, insurmountable barricades, cliffs, and rivers that create obstacles for both your troops and your enemies.

Each mission has a different victory condition. Your troops may need to prevent the Uthuk from taking control of a strategically significant town, or protect a group of unarmed and frightened villagers from enemy forces. They may need to kindle the signal fires in order to warn the people of Terrinoth, or ransack tents searching for magical gems to awaken the gargantuan Rune Golems.

In the beginning of the campaign, your army consists of only archers and infantry. But as you progress other types of units join your army: Riverwatch Riders enable you to cover greater distances, Rune Golems stun your enemies with brute force, and swift Roc Warriors descend from the skies. Over the course of the campaign, missions become increasingly difficult and the Uthuk Y'llan become a greater threat. Only with legendary creatures at your command will you be capable of defeating the all the demons that the Uthuk Y’llan can summon.

Muster Your Troops

Every aspect of game play in BattleLore: Command is straightforward and accessible. Battle begins with mustering and deployment, a key phase since the units you select and the positions they occupy at the beginning of the battle could determine the outcome. You simply choose the type of unit you wish to use and select the place where you wish to deploy it – the application automatically limits how many units you can muster and where they can be positioned. You cannot know, however, where the enemy forces are deployed until after you have deployed your own.

Both the Daqan Lords and the Uthuk Y’llan also have access to lore powers: magical spells that fortify the army’s defenses, create confusion among enemy forces, or grant added strength to an attack. Lore powers are divided into offensive and defensive powers, and each requires a specific amount of lore points to use. At the start of each turn, you gain another lore power and a single lore point, which can also be accumulated during combat. Well-timed use of your lore powers could turn the tide of battle in your favor, neglecting to use them could leave your troops vulnerable to enemy magic.

Lead the Charge

Commands determine which troops you may order each turn. Seven basic commands and a few unit-specific commands are at your disposal, but are exhausted once used. Scout commands allow you to regroup: one refreshes your battery of commands while moving a single unit, another allows you to move any two units on the field without attacking. The battlefield is divided into a left, middle, and right section, and units can move from section to section. Some commands enable you to move units in every section of the field, others focus on a single section, allowing you to make a targeted attack.

Each of your units has its own stats and abilities to make it potent in combat. Citadel Guards only move two spaces in a turn, but are very effective at destroying enemy units in melee combat. Yeoman Archers are ranged units, attacking the enemy from a distance. Riverwatch Riders can move farther in a turn, and can be sent ahead to flank enemy troops or thin them out before your lines come forward. You must consider whether you want to attack immediately or wait for the enemy to come to you; whether it's most productive to advance your troops, surround enemy forces, or defend an important location.

Once in position, you select an enemy unit and make your attack. The outcome of your attack is based partially on chance: the results are determined as if by rolling dice, with each unit’s combat value indicating the number of “dice” rolled during combat. Symbols show whether you have scored a hit, a miss, or a lore point. Your results may force the enemy to retreat or activate a unit’s special ability, such as the Citadel Guards’ Superior Tactics, which pushes enemies away, or the Blood Harvester’s Frenzy ability, which lets them sacrifice their own troops in order to slay their opponents.

You'll have to make the most our your units' positioning as well as their strength in arms. Positioning your units behind one another prevent them from being forced to retreat. Surrounding an enemy unit pins them so that a “retreat” result does damage. Holding a building shields you against the first hit of an attack, while forests limit a unit to two combat dice and block line of sight. Good tactics allow you to make the most out of your attacks and withstand brutal enemy assaults.

Prepare for War

Defend Terrinoth on your own or fight against a friend connected to the same wireless network in the multiplayer Skirmish mode. You can do battle on any of the application’s battlefields, one person commanding the Daqan army and another the Uthuk Y’llan. Each army has its own particular strengths and weaknesses, but each is only as strong as its commander.

BattleLore: Command makes the conflict between the Daqan Lords and Uthuk Y’llan come alive and brings players into the middle of the action. The application’s 360 degree view enables players to watch the battle from any vantage.The user-friendly interface lets you focus your attention on military strategy, while vivid animations depict the effects of attacks on your troops and on the enemy.

Develop your strategies, plan your deployments, and prepare to experience BattleLore on your digital device. The future of Terrinoth is in your hands.